Startup of the Day - RedCritter

Startup of the Day - RedCritter

The BizSpark startup of the day is RedCritter, based in the US. You will find below an interview with Mike Beaty, Founder and CEO of RedCritter. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Interview with Mike Beaty, Founder and CEO of RedCritter

Tell us who you are and your role in the company:

What did you do before creating your company?

I have formed and sold several Microsoft centric startups in manufacturing and supply chain verticals. My products have been acquired by EDS, UGS, Siemens and 3M.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s great to get recognized by Microsoft for our innovation. To be featured like this is a real honor.

What is your company’s mission?

To leverage the creativity of the Silverlight developer community to enhance business communications in new and exciting ways. RedCritter is a cloud platform that Silverlight developers use to create context-aware Apps that run inside Microsoft Outlook.

In 140 characters or less, tell us what your company does:

RedCritter is a cloud platform for Silverlight developers - for building context aware Apps that run inside Microsoft Outlook.

How did you get the idea for your company?

I have always been interested in how technology can transform the face of business in such a short time. RedCritter is all about unleashing the creativity of the Silverlight developer community upon the tried and true gold standard of business communications, Microsoft Outlook.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

Which platform are you building on? Why?

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

There are opportunities everywhere and more of them every day. You just need to look for the “edges” of technology. The edges are the places where technology solutions are still fluid and evolving and not dominated by existing products. This is where startups can make a difference.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It is fantastic. Microsoft should have done this years ago. It is a huge convenience to know that any Microsoft technology that you need is readily available.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

There are many ways to succeed with startups and all of them involve a lot of luck. Don’t do it unless you love it.

Who’s your role model?

Bill Gates. I’ll bet you’ve never heard that before.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview?

Find your niche and choose something you enjoy. Microsoft has really transformed to be such a startup-friendly company that there has never been a better time to pursue your interests.